Rdza - Panoptikum (2020)

Rdza

Martyna Liliana Kabulska- violin
Anna Jędrzejewska - piano
Jarosław Majewski - bass
Jacek Buhl - drums, percussion

Panoptikum

MZM 14

By Adam Baruch

This is the second album by Polish Improvised Music duo Rdza, comprising of bassist Jarosław Majewski and drummer Jacek Buhl. For this album they added pianist Anna Jędrzejewska and violinist Martyna Liliana Kabulska. The album presents ten original spontaneous compositions co-credited to all four participants. The music was recorded in a Palace, which hosts a collection of old pianos, three of which were used on this recording.

The music is much more intimate and concise this time than the almost Big Band sound of the debut, and as such much less surprising or outstanding. It is a typical Improvising Music meeting, based on the exchange of ideas developing on the fly, which might be exciting while it happens but don’t necessarily manages to transform all that excitement on record. This said, there are plenty of interesting moments herein and hardcore Improvising Music enthusiasts will surely love this music to bits, but it probably does not penetrate far beyond that specific audience.

Buhl is an extraordinary drummer with highly developed imagination and technique and it is always a pleasure to listen to him playing. Majewski also plays some great bass passages, and his pulsations drive the music forward, during the moments when the music offers a specific direction. The pianos sound interesting but I wonder how many listeners are able to distinguish this early 19^th piano sound from any other.

The music is mostly very hesitant, delicate and contemplative and offers almost as much silent moments as sounds, which has a soothing effect contrasting the actual notes played by the performers. It does fluctuate periodically between quiet passages and more intense interactions, but avoids fierce climaxes.

Overall this is somewhat typical Improvised Music recording, which offers a challenge even to experienced Avant-Garde connoisseurs, and demands patience and open-mindedness, which sadly not many listeners these days are ready to invest. I had a blast listening to this music, but I might be pretty lonely in that position.